


summery hands

by springowl



Category: BLACKPINK (Band), 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Explicit Language, F/M, lizkook, vsoo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-21
Updated: 2018-01-23
Packaged: 2019-02-17 23:56:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,383
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13088133
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/springowl/pseuds/springowl
Summary: as much as jungkook tries to deny it, he has undoubtedly fallen for the starbucks barista.





	1. pretty fingers

 

He stands in the line, fingers absently tapping on the smooth screen of his smartphone as he waits for his turn. The line is long, and his feet are cold even from within the thick confines of his socks and shoes and the day couldn’t possibly get any worse. The twenty-year old had only meant to quickly duck in, grab a hot drink and leave, and _stupidly_ hadn’t even considered the several other people who would of course have the same idea on this cold, winter day. Behind him, he could feel the irritation radiating from his fellow students as they shuffle side to side impatiently. In front of him, he sees an older woman lash out irrationally at the cashier. Soft, diplomatic voices try their best to soothe the old hag but to no avail.

With the sheer number of customers in the vicinity, Jungkook almost feels bad for the staff. However, he too was close to being frozen from head to toe and the sluggish progression of the waiting line did little to quell that icy torture. He turns his attention back to his phone, supressing a tired groan when he realized that it was on its last few breaths, the notification reminding him of its impending doom, _‘20% battery left’._ Winter hits hard. And doesn’t leave survivors. The university student quickly swipes up and disables mobile data – a futile endeavour, it is an iPhone after all.

Finally, after what seems like centuries, he manages to struggle his way to the front of the line.

And immediately forgets his order.

She’s pretty, _so pretty,_ with long blonde hair that’s tied loosely into a ponytail. Her bangs frame her cute round face and sit right above large chocolate brown eyes. But what feels like a breath of fresh air after this shitty, shitty day is the large, almost _blinding_ smile that she has stretching across her face. Surely she wasn’t human. After dealing with variations of irritable and rude in abundance no one could possibly remain that cheery.

“Hi! May I take your order?” The barista’s voice is bright and so pleasant that it almost immediately soothes his rattled nerves.

Thankfully, before he could make a fool of himself, he remembers his drink. “Hi, um…can I get a white chocolate mocha to go?”

She presses a few buttons (he quickly notes that she has really pretty, long fingers. _Even her fingers are pretty._ ) on the machine before looking up at him. He has to stop himself from turning away.

“And what size would you like?”

Jungkook pauses for a moment. His wallet says Tall but his heart says Venti.

“A Grande please,” he manages to say without too much trouble, even with her staring up at him like _that._

“Would you like whipped cream on top?”

“No thanks,” to sweeten the already sweetened version of a drink even more seemed like a death sentence.  

“That’ll be five dollars thank you. Could I get your name?”

At this, he sneaks a glance at the name tag that sits snugly on her shirt, _Lisa._ She doesn’t seem to notice, still looking at him with those large, round eyes.

“It’s Jungkook.”

She tilts her head cutely (although to be fair, anything she did would probably be cute), “ah, Jimin-oppa’s friend?”

This causes him to stiffen slightly. “You know Jimin-hyung?”

Before she can reply, the loud and obnoxious sound of someone clearing their throat fills the air. Jungkook turns his head to give a well-aimed glare at the man behind him but Lisa interrupts him.

“Okay, thank you! Won’t be long.”

He’s almost pushed along by the insistent people in the line but he can just manage to make out the hint of a silent apology on her face. As he’s shuffled to the side, his hand finds itself going to his phone, quickly unlocking it and pulling up a messaging app.

 ** _jungkookie:_** _hey jiminie do you know a lisa?_

The familiar speech bubble pops up at the bottom of the screen, the ellipses blinking slowly in and out of existence.

 **_chim chim:_ ** _it’s hyung to you_

Jungkook lets out a soft chuckle at the predictable response but it is quickly replaced by a look of annoyance at the message that follows.

 ** _chim chim:_** _why should I tell you lol_  

 **_jungkookie:_ ** _I hate you_

What little of his dignity that remains seems to shrivel as he begins to type out a response.

 **_jungkookie:_ ** _please tell me hyung_

 **_chim chim:_ ** _since you asked so nicely, sure_

 **_chim chim:_ ** _oh no I have to get back to class lol_

 **_jungkookie:_ ** _dont you dare you bastard_

 **_jungkookie:_ ** _get your fucking ass back here_

 **_jungkookie:_ ** _JIMIN_

More frustrated than angry, he exits the app, making a mental note to add some new text replacements in Jimin’s phone. The brunette looks up at the counter to see Lisa bustling over the coffee machine, her face furrowed in intense concentration. Of course, she manages to make it look adorable, her rolled up sleeves and loose hair strands only serve to add to her charm ( _how the hell does she make it look so cute?_ ). A co-worker places an empty plastic cup next to her arm, accompanied by a short exchange of words and Lisa smiles and nods in response.

He’s so engrossed with watching (not creepily, he swears) her that he doesn’t notice his name being called out.

“Jungkook! Jimin-oppa’s Jungkook, your White Chocolate Mocha.”

_Jungkook…Jimin-oppa’s Jung-_

The boy almost _chokes._ He stumbles towards the counter hastily, trying his hardest to ignore the stares directed at his back. Over the shoulder of the barista he can see Lisa pouring coffee steadily into a tall mug, fully absorbed in the action. She didn’t seem to be aware of the embarrassment she has caused him, and he found it amazingly hard to resent her for it. So he grabs the cup, murmurs a hasty ‘thanks’ and exits the building.

There’s a crooked smiley face drawn in sharpie underneath his name and his heart tightens ever so slightly.    

 

* * *

 

 **_jungkookie:_ ** _jimin hyung_

 **_jungkookie:_ ** _hyung_

 **_jungkookie:_ ** _I know youre there_

 **_jungkookie:_ ** _look at your private messages_

 **_taetae:_ ** _leave him alone holy shit_

 **_taetae:_ ** _no one likes a brat_

 **_jungkookie:_ ** _you dont understand_

 **_jungkookie:_ ** _its important_

 **_yoongi:_ ** _sure it is, like that time you needed one of us to, and i quote, “watch me bowl all sick like”_

 **_jungkookie:_ ** _was it or was it not sick like_

From his seat in the back of the lecture hall, he stifles a snort at the lack of a response. The Starbucks drink sits half empty on his desk, its warmth providing a simple and cheap makeshift heater. Beside it sits his laptop, opened to a blank word document and beside that, his phone plugged into it, charging. Jungkook can barely make out the lazy drone of the lecturer who looks like he is about to fall asleep standing up as murmurs of his fellow peers drift around the room. The soft vibration of his phone draws his attention back to its bright screen.

 **_taetae:_ ** _what do you want from jimin anyway_

 **_jungkookie:_ ** _just wanted to know_

 **_jungkookie:_ ** _if he knew a girl named Lisa_

 **_taetae:_ ** _lisa???_

 **_jungkookie:_ ** _yeah_

 **_taetae:_ ** _where have I heard that name before_

 **_taetae:_ ** _hmmmmmmmmmmmm_

 **_jungkookie:_ ** _sometime before I die would be nice thanks_

The boy’s fingers tap lightly on the wooden desk.

 **_taetae:_ ** _fuck off._

 **_taetae:_ ** _I’m pretty sure she’s jichu’s friend_

 **_jungkookie:_ ** _jichu???_

The twenty-year old lowers his smartphone momentarily, racking his brains for anyone who could be associated with that name. It isn’t as if he doesn’t know Taehyung’s friends, the issue is that the boy has so many that its difficult to keep track of them all. The faint vibration of his phone draws his eyes back to the illuminated screen.

 **_taetae:_ ** _yeah kim jisoo_

 **_taetae:_ ** _in my ancient history class_

 **_taetae:_ ** _dabs real good_

All he wanted to know was who Lisa was, now he was scrolling through Taehyung’s Facebook friends list for a girl he had never even seen or heard of before. There was so much to go through as well, rows and rows of people who he would have never even considered to be acquainted with Kim Taehyung. They ranged from girls his age to men twenty years his senior and never before had he been so unnerved. Still, he persevered, eyes watching intently as portraits and texts flashed up at an unrelenting pace.

Finally, at fucking last, a ‘Kim Jisoo’ appears onscreen. The name is accompanied by a small selfie of a raven haired, pretty girl with delicate features. Jungkook presses his index finger on her name, waiting impatiently for the page to load. When it does, his eyes widen. Her cover photo is her with three other girls, one of which was a familiar blonde with a cute round face. Thankfully, he doesn’t have to search far for her, a photo post of a dinner with friends helpfully tags one _Lalisa Manoban._

He doesn’t even hesitate, almost furiously smashing his finger on the name. With his trademark horrible sense of timing, Taehyung’s message notification flashes abruptly across the top of the screen. Not wanting to deal with anymore, already satisfied with what he has, Jungkook moves to swipe it away, and stupidly, predictably, presses it. He lets out a silent groan as the app loads without his permission.

 **_taetae:_ ** _why do u want to know anyway???_

 **_taetae:_ ** _has our jungkookie got a crush hmmmmmmmm ;)))_

Said Jungkookie snorts at first. Then freezes. Narrows his eyes.

A crush? Him? Mr _‘Can’t, I gotta play Overwatch and work out for five hours’_? He’s dated before sure, but nothing serious, it had always been the other person who approached him first. There was no particular reason why he would accept the offer other than the fact that ‘they seemed nice enough’ and ‘why not?’. Because to be honest, he simply had more important things on his mind. Like whether or not it would be societally appropriate to eat six cups of ramen in one sitting.

It wasn’t a crush. It was some weird curiosity concerning the cute starbucks barista with blonde hair and brown eyes and the cutest round face and –

He lets out a long, lengthy sigh.

 _Great._  


	2. long legs

“One-two-three-four-“

With a twist of her hips, flick of her hand, she moves as gracefully as she can. Her body contorts in such way that wouldn’t be possible without years and years of practice. Sweat drips down her arm, her forehead, as she moves, _dances._ The studio blurs, into colours of blue, grey and white as she turns and turns, the rhythm moving down her spine and up her leg. She can feel her hair, tied up with a tight scrunchie, hit the back of her neck at a particularly violent move but it is brushed off quickly.

Her arm goes to the opposite side of her head, fingers splaying just the way Hoseok taught her. She hears him murmur approvingly behind her and a small smile graces her face. With a final twist, head bent, she ends the dance just as the music trails off.

She looks up with a large grin she doesn’t even bother to hide, “How was that?”

Her teacher meets her eyes, his expression not too different from hers. Its easy to see how proud he is, of both of them.

Jimin stands beside her, panting ever so slightly with an equally large smile. He brushes his hair away from his face to reveal a bead of sweat travelling down his forehead.

“It was great, you two.” Hoseok walks towards them, his face as warm as ever, hand outstretched and Lisa closes her eyes, ready for a pat on the head.

Instead, a sharp pain stabs her neck as her teacher neatly chops it. Her eyes jolt open and she can just catch him do the same to the boy next to her. Jimin has his face contorted in pain as he rubs the back of her neck in an exaggerated motion that has her close to laughing.

“ _However,_ you are still not listening to me!” The man walks away from them, rolling up his sleeves. “Lisa!”

She stands up straight, out of habit more than anything.

“You’re too clumsy still! Each movement has to be precise, but not look as if its tightly controlled.” A snicker from Jimin. “And _you,_ Jimin! You’re thinking too much - not everything has to be so contrived, lose yourself for once!”

They both groan as Hoseok starts the music again, despite both seemingly expressing their discontent, a determined look has taken ownership of their faces.

At the end of the session, Lisa sits against the wall, water bottle at her thigh and towel hastily thrown over her head. Her limbs are sore and shirt ruined with sweat like they are at the end of every lesson. She watches Jimin continue to dance, despite the fact that he can barely see through his bangs and feels like laughing. Yet she can’t deny that his hardworking nature had always been endearing. She can tell Hoseok feels the same, his eyes are soft like warm coffee as he watches the boy’s movements.

Lisa closes her eyes as she presses the top of her water bottle to her lips.

 

* * *

 

**_jichu_ ** _lisa im bored_

**_lalice_ ** _okay_

**_lalice_ ** _what do u want me to do about it unnie_

**_jichu_ ** _youre done with dance right??? lets go eat_

**_rosie_** _theres this really nice Italian place near campus, like_ real _nice_

**_jichu_ ** _yeah yeah lets go!!!_

**_lalice_ ** _cantttt_

**_lalice_ ** _gotta study :’)_

**_jichu_ ** _ >:(_

The phone falls from her hands, landing softly on top of a bed of paper. It sits there, almost sadly, as faint beams of light can be seen escaping from underneath.

Her head rolls back and forth on the desk lazily. She can feel the crispness of her book underneath her, its pages and pages of text staring almost mockingly at her. The light of the laptop shines onto her head, blue illuminating blonde in a way that would be poetic if it weren’t the most monotonous thing one could think of in the twenty-first century. She has to finish this essay soon so she can concentrate on her dancing and job but the urge to procrastinate is overwhelming.

The university’s library is mostly silent, save for a few murmured voices every now and then, and she would have appreciated it if she were a model student.

Her pen balances precariously on the edge of a tall stack of books in front of her.

It is embarrassingly hard to concentrate, it always is, after one of Hoseok’s lessons. All she wants to do is return to the dance studio, as much as her tired, aching limbs abhor the idea of doing so. She feels as if she’s wasting time by being in the library, by being _still._ Why is she not dancing, her heart doesn’t seem to understand?

But her mind does.

Lisa groans, burying her head further into the musty smelling pages of the textbook.  

“Hey, you okay?”

When she brings her head up, reluctantly of course, she’s met with a familiar face. His usual tanned skin seems a little lighter under the dim lights of the library and his shaggy bangs seem to be wrestling with his eyes for dominance, but she knows. Despite his words, Taehyung’s expression is one of amusement and she very much wants to smack it out of him. Instead, she settles for a pout, deciding that it was far too early to get kicked out of the library.

“Doing fine,” she isn’t _._ “Doing great, even.”

“Your book is upside-down.”

Her eye twitches. The blonde sits up abruptly, snapping her book shut.

“Alright, if you’ve come here to bother me, congrats! You’ve succeeded!”

She’s about to continue but Taehyung interrupts her, he really can be so insufferable. Its only through Jisoo that she knows him, and even then, she wouldn’t exactly call them close _._ But, being the lovely, sweet, nice Lisa she is, she decides to let him speak anyway.  

“I was actually looking for you because – “ his usual boxy smile appears, but its slightly off and she’s immediately on edge. Her brown eyes narrow and she braces herself for whatever is coming next, certain that it can’t be any good. “I need a favour.”

Lisa begins to pack her things into her bag, shoving books and pens in haphazardly.

“Hey, come on Lisa, I’m desperate! You haven’t even heard me out yet!” The man’s hands are latching onto her books like claws and she’s so close to hitting him.

“The last time I ‘heard you out’, I had a black eye for a week! I’ve had a _really_ long day oppa,” She retorts in a hushed whisper while attempting to ply his hands off her belongings.

“In my defence, I didn’t _know_ bottlecaps would hurt that much and anyway, didn’t I take care of you afterwards?”

“You laughed at me!”

She recalls the memory clearly and with large amounts of hatred and regret. They’d call it an accident, she would refer to it as attempted murder.

“And in my defence, it was very funny – “

“I’m this close, _this_ close oppa.”

A loud ‘shhh’ resounds from behind them and Lisa flushes slightly in response. Her company doesn’t seem to care, currently occupied with giving her the biggest puppy dog eyes he can muster as he clings to her bag. If he had a tail it would be wagging unbearably right now. She pinches the bridge of her nose.

“Alright, fine, what is it?”

His face lights up at her words, mouth stretching into such a wide grin that she’s almost blinded. Almost immediately though, the beam disappears and is quickly replaced by an uncharacteristically serious expression.

“You’re the only one I can ask, Lisa,” he whispers intensely, causing her to involuntarily take a step back. “I’m _serious._ ”

“Um, yeah – okay – “  

His eyes almost seem to harden. Then, he takes a deep breath. She’s only just now aware that several students around them are watching curiously. The girl shifts on her feet.

“So I have this friend who has a huge crush on Jisoo right?” Taehyung begins, eyebrows furrowed ever so slightly. “I’m pretty sure you’ve met him before, Jungkookie?”

She pauses for a second, sifting through faces from her past week in an attempt to match it to the name. Her part time job means she sees hundreds of different faces a day (and hears around the same amount of names), so perhaps it was a fruitless endeavour. The twenty-year-old is about to shake her head when Taehyung speaks up.

“Jeon Jungkook?”

A familiar face slowly fades into existence, brown hair, large eyes –

“Ah! _Him_ , yeah he came in while I was working.” She would always hear Jimin talk about him while they were stretching on the floor of the dance studio. _‘Jungkook is great at bowling did you know? Apparently, he’s even been taking lessons!’ ‘He’s got a great body too, even though he does stupid shit like eat six cups of ramen in one sitting.’_

“Jungkookie’s a really good kid, like _really good_. But – “ an exasperated sigh. “He’s terrible with girls.”

“Mm, really,” she sits back down on her chair, opening her bag and taking her study materials out one by one. Taehyung plunks himself down across from her, much to the chagrin of the student he was now sitting next to.

“Yeah, so I, his wonderful, selfless hyung, would of course want to help him, you know?”

“Mhm, sure,” she has her book open again (this time, right way up) and a pen in between her long fingers. He doesn’t seem to notice.

“And that’s where you come in!” He points at her triumphantly.

She doesn’t quite comprehend, doesn’t really want to, truthfully. So she tilts her head and squints. His smile falters a little.

“So why do you need me?”

Taehyung’s face can’t help but darken and she wants to laugh because it looks so out of place on his handsome face. To her, it’s almost like looking at a petulant child.

“To, _obviously,_ go on a double date with me, Jisoo and Jungkook,” he says while frowning. “If it seems like a group thing, he’ll feel less nervous.”

The blonde girl leans back on her chair, crossing her legs in the process. Her arms are folded in front of her.

“You want me to set unnie up with this Jungkook?”

She remembers his flushed face (from the cold, probably) at work. He had been polite, if a little shy – someone like that with a loud, outgoing person like Jisoo probably wouldn’t be bad. They’d balance each other out, she’s sure. Not to mention, her unnie has mentioned wanting to date for some time, ever since the months after the end of her previous relationship.

“I’ll ask her, no promises though,” Lisa finds herself saying.

Immediately, she’s attacked by a heavy weight across the table and it takes her a second to realize that Taehyung has captured her in a hug.

“Thanks Lisa, I owe you one!” He muffles this into her shoulder as she sits stiffly on the hard library chair.

Another loud ‘shh’ snaps him away from her and he at least has the sense to look somewhat sheepish this time. The blonde slumps back into her chair and feels as if she’s developed a migraine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank u very much for reading! please look forward to the next chapter~


	3. wow, thighs

“Jungkookie lost!”

Slaps on his arm, hard and relentless, he expects nothing less from them. Even when he’s at his lowest, they put their all into his punishment, as if all integrity would be loss if they didn’t put all their strength into hitting him. On his right, Seokjin smiles wickedly and he doesn’t even need to turn around to know that the others are mirroring the eldest’s expression. In front of them lay a pile of uno cards strewn about haphazardly, as if it were the aftermath of some war. They sit around said mess of cards in a circle (it’s more of an oval but no one really cares) on the floor of Namjoon’s apartment.

He’s really not surprised that he’s the one who lost. But it doesn’t make the sting on the skin of his arm hurt any less. It would have been bearable if they weren’t _all_ wearing the widest, shit-eating grins known to man. From beside Jungkook, Jimin pulls out a piece of paper from the pad lying on the carpeted floor, and presses a pen he picked up from the coffee table to it.

“Alright boys, give me your order – drinks on Jungkook as discussed,” the bleached haired bastard says with an overwhelming amount of satisfaction, probably pleased its not him.

As they throw words at each other, Jungkook can feel his wallet lightening in his back pocket. The price of greed.

He’s escorted (pushed) out of the apartment by eager hands and rushed yelling of last minute additions with a piece of paper shoved into his coat pocket. As the door slams shut behind him, he can hear the muted, but undeniably distinct, sounds of snickering.  

The twenty-year-old is mad from the apartment all the way to the Starbucks relatively close by. He’s at least grateful that Namjoon had chosen to rent a place close to the university, meaning he wouldn’t get lost trying to navigate some foreign neighbourhood. From outside the store, he can see that its relatively quiet save for a few people here and there, and he breathes a sigh of relief. When he enters the building, his heart lurches.

Lisa is there, _of course she is,_ looking as pretty as she did the first time he had met her. Her hair is tied up in a messy bun today, loose strands framing her round face. She looks up from behind the counter as he approaches, her face lighting up slightly and he can feel his chest tightening.

“Hello,” she beams brightly, and he doesn’t care if she gets paid to be cheerful, he’d listen to her greet him like that every day for the rest of his life. “What can I get you today?”    

He’s confused for a second, as if he doesn’t quite remember why he’s even there and he can feel his eyes widen as he stares at her. _Don’t do that. Don’t be creepy, just order the drinks you weirdo._

“Uh, hi,” is all that he manages. Lisa blinks at him, tilting her head in slight confusion and he wants to kick himself.

The dark-haired man pulls out the folded note from his pocket, holding it out to her wordlessly. She takes it from him, brushing their fingers slightly and he absently notes that hers are unbelievably soft. Her brown eyes move down the piece of paper, narrowing as she reads through it.

“Wow, that’s a lot. These all for you?” She asks the question with mirth in her eyes but he doesn’t catch on.

“No - !”

He vehemently denies it, waving his hands as he attempts to explain his predicament but stops when she begins to laugh. A furious blush blooms on his cheeks and he can feel his face grow hot.

“It’s okay, I get it, I get it,” the girl gives him a knowing smile. “Jimin-oppa’s doing?”

As much as he would love to expose the demon, the punishment was actually suggested by Jungkook himself. Making the whole situation that much more embarrassing. Instead of confessing to an idiotic blunder on his part, because he’s sure as hell that he wouldn’t be able to lie to her, he changes the subject. The man leans slightly on the counter as the barista plugs in the numbers on the screen.

“How do you know hyung anyway?”

Her eyes move to his face, a warm brown and framed by long pretty lashes, as she pauses momentarily. A smile appears on her face, but its different from the obligatory one that those in retail were meant to give. This smile is soft, gentle, and sends his heart into cardiac arrest. A small twinge of jealousy accompanies his next thought, _what’s her relationship with him?_

“We go to the same dance studio,” Lisa answers, going back to the screen, but that same, small smile still remains on her face. “He’s someone I respect a lot.”

“You dance as well?” He asks in slight awe, no wonder she seemed exceptionally graceful even when pouring damned coffee.

Her expression brightens, “You do too?”

“Yeah, I wonder why I’ve never seen you at the studio – you go to Hoseok-hyung’s one right?”

She nods, “Mhm, oh but I usually go on Mondays and Tuesdays.”

He slides a hand through his locks, feeling its strands run through his fingers, “Ah, that explains why, I’m there Wednesdays and Fridays.”  

At this, her face falls, “Oh…”

It’s the first time he’s seen her look so disappointed and immediately, he never wants to see her with such an expression again.

“But, Hoseok-hyung is a really great teacher isn’t he?”

She nods furiously and it’s the cutest thing he’s ever seen.

“I’m so happy you think so too! I’ve thought to myself ‘oh I’m so lucky to have such a teacher’ every time he demonstrates anything for us,” her voice has risen a little higher as she continues to speak, clearly excited to be discussing her hobby with him.

Jungkook agrees, no one could possibly replace Hoseok, not only is he extremely talented, he’s a teacher who doesn’t hesitate to push you to your limits, to make sure that you’re doing the absolute best you can. As someone who constantly strives for perfection, he can identify with this need to put everything you have into something. The feeling one gets when their hard work pays off, he wouldn’t trade it for the world.

“It was because of hyung that I started dancing,” Jungkook says softly, he’s looking at his hands on the counter, long fingers tapping absentmindedly on smooth wood.

When he looks back up, she’s smiling at him. The small, gentle smile that she had when they were talking about Jimin.

“I can see why,” a twinkly laugh escapes her lips. “He’s amazing.”

“Can I ask what made you begin dancing?” He’s genuinely curious, not just asking it to continue the conversation. He wants to know more about her, more about this pretty barista with blonde hair and a round face.

Her eyes soften, fingers pause on the screen in front of her, hovering over the glass.

“My sister did, she doesn’t dance anymore but,” she hides her mouth behind her hand while laughing cutely. “It’s kind of embarrassing but when I saw her dancing I thought, ‘wow, so _cool’­_ ”

“That…that’s not too different from what happened with Hoseok-hyung,” he moans, putting both his own hands to his face.

“Huh?” Immediately, her face changes, a bright eager Lisa leans over towards him with a great big smile and wide eyes. “Tell me, tell me!”

“No, it’s too embarrassing – wh-why are you looking at me like that? Okay _fine_ ,” if it were Taehyung giving him those big puppy dog eyes he would have snorted in return but he didn’t, probably would never, have it in him to deny her. “He was dancing of course, and wearing these shorts and well, I walked in on Hoseok-hyung for the first time and the first thing I said was ‘wow, _thighs_.’”

She grins. Snorts. And bursts out laughing.

And the fact that he’s not annoyed in the slightest says _a lot._

 

* * *

 

 

When he returns to Namjoon’s apartment, the living room is dark and tv loud, playing some drama he had never heard of. Seven Starbucks drinks, in drink trays of course – he’s not an idiot, are balanced precariously in his arms. The only person who gets up from the very crowded couch to help him is Jimin and he wants to laugh at the irony.

“You’re smiling weird,” Jimin says as he takes a cardboard drink tray from his arms and places it on the kitchen counter.

“Just take your drink and go.”

 

* * *

 

 

**_jisoo_ ** _taehyung-ssi where are you?_

**_taehyung_ ** _just call me taehyung_

**_taehyung_ ** _im almost there gimme like 5 minutes, im outside the grocery store near campus_

**_jisoo_ ** _you have one_

**_taehyung_ ** _but_

**_jisoo_ ** _o n e_

He’s whipped, so of course he’s out of breath by the time he sees her, panting as he takes a moment to replenish himself. A cool water bottle touches his cheek and the man looks up to see a literal angel. An angel who is too busy laughing at him to formulate words. She stands under a tree, shaded from the blinding sun as he bends over, light hair illuminated by its rays.

“You didn’t _actually_ have to get here in one minute,” is the first sentence that comes out of Jisoo’s mouth.

“You challenged me,” a huff. A wheeze. “And I’m not the type to go down without a fight!”

“Taehyung, you were like three blocks away.”

“I know, _oh god this was such a mistake,_ ” she grabs onto his arm before he falls over, gently leading him to a bench under the tree.

The twenty-two-year-old can feel her small hand rub soothing circles on his back as he gulps down the water like he’s been lost in the desert for hours. Even though he’s in pain and can barely breathe, the sensation of her gentle ministrations makes all of this much less unpleasant.

“So, did she ask?” He questions, tilting his head.

Jisoo nods in response, taking her water bottle back from him, “Yeah, Lisa asked me to come with her on the double date this morning. Was really weird about it though, what did you do?”

“Nothing really, so I just have to ask Jungkookie now,” Taehyung pulls out his smartphone, ignoring her raised eyebrow at the multiple cracks on his screen and quickly taps on the contacts app. He scrolls through until he finds ‘kookie’ which he promptly dials.

A tired and wary voice greets him and he silently curses, it would be tough to convince a sceptical Jungkook. Even though it was all for his sake, so that he could finally start dating again. He’s sure that without prodding, the younger boy wouldn’t be able to ask someone out, he just wasn’t interested, or that’s what he says anyway.

Excuses. Taehyung knows better.

_“What do you want hyung?”_

“Kookie-ah, I need a favour,” he says, in the sweetest, cutest voice he can muster. The maknae can’t resist it, shouldn’t be able to –

_“No.”_

Next to him, Jisoo bites back a chuckle at his incredulous expression.

“What do you mean no? I’m your hyung! I’ve done everything for you!”

A pause. His face brightens, maybe he’s seen the error of his ways finally and –

 _“No, I don’t want to.”_  

“Jungkook you brat – “

_“If that’s all I’m going to hang up.”_

Desperate consumes his body then, maybe it’s the endorphins being pumped to his brain from his impromptu sprint but all of a sudden he bursts out, “I’ll buy you lunch for a week!”

A pause. Hook, line and sinker.

_“One month.”_

His eye twitches. “ _Two_ weeks.”

 _“…fine,”_ comes the exasperated voice from the other end of the phone.

Taehyung gives Jisoo a thumbs up, he mouths ‘success’ and she giggles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for reading, constructive criticism is welcomed~~


	4. relax and tighten

As the music plays in the background, she studies her form in the mirror. Her eyes are drawn to the swing of her limbs, the turn of her torso, and the flick of her hips. But she also notices the slight clumsy movement of her neck and the overall stiffness of her body. It’s a frustrating thing, being able to see what’s wrong but still lacking the ability to fix it. If Hoseok were here at the studio, he would immediately be able to help her but it’s a Thursday night, the one day he takes off, and she’s there alone.  

Lisa tries a new position, changes the angle of her neck, but its still unbearably awkward. Her reflection in the mirror frowns. She tries again. And again.

By the end, she wants to smash the mirror to bits. See it shatter into small fragments of glass, littering the floor like snowflakes. It’s frustrating, so, so, frustrating. Is she not good enough? Not gifted enough? Not working hard enough? With anger, she stomps over to the table where the stereo remote sits, picks it up, and turns the music off. It cuts off suddenly, plunging the large studio into silence save for her slight heavy breaths. The blonde grabs the water bottle that sits next to the stereo, twisting it open hastily and taking large gulps. Lisa looks up at the white ceiling, its smooth but she can see faint marks on the paint. Her eyes travel down the wall, to the mirror where she’s being reflected seated on the table, long legs hanging over the edge.

As she’s drinking, she finds herself staring her reflecting down with irrational hatred.

The dancer is interrupted by the vibration of her phone by her hand, its familiar buzz stirring her from her vague, trancelike state. It’s a message notification, from someone she’s only met a few times before, and only befriended online yesterday.

**_Jeon Jungkook_ ** _hey_

She chuckles a little, puts down her water bottle and quickly unlocks her phone.

**_Lalisa Manoban_ ** _hi, whats up?_

**_Jeon Jungkook_ ** _not much, just finished class_

**_Lalisa Manoban_ ** _oh? Its pretty late_

**_Jeon Jungkook_ ** _it’s the one class I have today so I don’t mind_

**_Jeon Jungkook_ ** _is it weird if I ask u what ure doing rn?_

A real giggle escapes her lips and her eyes crinkle ever so slightly. Perhaps it’s because she hasn’t been in this stage of a new friendship in such a long time that she finds his awkwardness endearing.

**_Lalisa Manoban_ ** _its fine haha_

**_Lalisa Manoban_ ** _im at the studio, just practicing by myself_

**_Jeon Jungkook_ ** _wait really? i was about to head over anyway, im about ten minutes away_

**_Jeon Jungkook_ ** _see u in a bit?_

**_Lalisa Manoban_ ** _yeah cool!_

She locks her phone, and returns her gaze to the mirror. There’s a silly grin on her face that she drops immediately. _Presentable enough,_ her black top is good at obscuring hints of sweat and her leggings are the ones without holes in them. Thin fingers go to her hair, releasing it from the confines of the hairband, letting it fall over her shoulders in soft gentle rivulets. Then, as if suddenly faced with the realization that that is indeed what she is doing, she stops herself from fussing over her appearance. There’s no need to, it’s _Jungkook_ , it’s nothing like that.

There’s a dark flush on her cheeks now, and its not from dance. She shakes her head furiously, _no._

No.

He’s going to come, and they’re going to talk about the studio, Hoseok, dancing. Maybe he’ll dance for her, show her something she’s never seen before –

Her nails dig into her arms.

She’s frustrated, that’s it. She hasn’t dated in ages and it’s the pile of homework that sits on her desk and due dates hanging over her desk that’s taking its toll. It’s all the time she spends studying and dancing instead of hanging with her friends and in the library instead of watching shows on Netflix.

Yeah, it’s that. It’s definitely all that and not at all stupid Jeon Jungkook and his cute face and big eyes and strong back and thick thighs –

Lisa groans, places her head in her palms and slumps over. A feeling of shame washes over her, she’s not allowed to feel this way. It’s dangerous.

She can’t do this to Jungkook and Jisoo. Doesn’t have the right to.

So she jumps off the table, brushes away all traitorous thoughts and busies herself with the stereo. As she’s moving through songs at an almost breakneck pace, the sound of the door behind the girl creaking open disturbs her.

“Lisa?”

She turns to see Jungkook, dressed in a short sleeved white shirt that strains against his chest ever so slightly and loose jeans. His backpack is slung lazily over one of his shoulders and in his hands are two plastic cups with green straws peeking out of them. Lisa smiles, giving him a small wave as she begins to walk towards him.

“Thank you - but you didn’t have to do that,” she chastises, though she takes the drink he offers anyway.

Jungkook grins, she notes the small bead of sweat that drips down the side of his forehead, “don’t worry about it, it was on the way.”

“Let me grab my wallet.” The man visibly frowns at this, causing her to look at him in confusion.

“It’s just a drink, Lisa.”

Lisa shakes her head, “no, I couldn’t.” They barely know each other, if it were Jisoo or any of the others, even _Taehyung,_ she wouldn’t have batted an eyelid. She goes to her bag, rummaging around for the familiar shape of her wallet but promptly stops when she feels a hand on her shoulder. It’s gentle, but strong and Jungkook retracts it quickly. Lisa can’t help but silently mourn the loss of his hand.

“Really, it’s _fine_ ,” he says. “If it bothers you that much, maybe you could show me some of the things you’ve been doing with hyung in return?”

She narrows her eyes at that. It sounds way too prepared. Crossing her arms over her chest she turns and raises an eyebrow.

“Was that your goal all along?”

Beneath strands of soft brown hair, dark eyes widen in response. Jungkook waves his hands in front of him while denying her accusation vehemently.

“No - no way, I just walked past Starbucks, and thought you would be thirsty after dancing – “

She interrupts him with an amused giggle as she picks up the stereo remote. The man’s cheeks are flushed in embarrassment and his expression quickly develops into one of exasperation. “Relax, I’m just teasing you.”

“Cheeky,” Jungkook leans back as she passes him, the song playing through the stereo having increased in volume.

Lisa grins.

His eyes are on her when she takes the first step. Follows her arm as they outstretch. They’re not perverse in intent, instead it seems almost as if he’s studying her. She does everything the way Hoseok had taught her, the perfect amount of rest between movements, the right angle of her neck, as always, she doesn’t relent. The song’s melody coils itself around her hip like a vine, tightening slowly. Even though she doesn’t have to, there’s no pressure to, she puts her all into her dance. It doesn’t seem right to do anything but the best.

The song trails off and so does she.

Jungkook is still leaning by the stereo, Starbucks cup in hand but nowhere near his lips. His dark eyes, framed by thick lashes, are watching her intently still. When she looks at him expectantly, he turns away. Her face falls.

“…was it that bad?” A small, pitiful sound almost escapes her.

He shakes his head, his earnest eyes betray nothing, “no! No it was great!”

The man puts down his drink on the table. He looks at her with an indiscernible expression that reminds her of a lot of things she’d rather not recall.

“Just...mind doing it one more time?”

She eyes him curiously, but doesn’t exactly see anything wrong with his request. The song starts back up and she resumes her starting position. This time, Jungkook stands up from his spot near the stereo to approach her.

“Your back is a little too relaxed for this move,” he says, moving his hands to mimic the curve of her spine. “I think that’s why the transition to the next move is a little painful.”

Her eyes narrow slightly. “How do you know it hurts?”

“You were grimacing.” Was she? She hadn’t noticed at all.

Lisa tightens her shoulders, feeling her back straighten ever so slightly in return.

“No, like – “ his hands have moved towards her but he hesitates, pauses. She can see him try to think about how to put it into words, but actions speak louder than words and she doesn’t mind.

“Can you show me?”   

His dark eyes shift to the side, “are you sure I’m not being too intrusive? I’m not Hoseok-hyung, I could be showing you the wrong thing…”

Lisa shakes her head, a little touched, “it’s fine.”

Jungkook mirrors her pose, almost exactly, even getting the slight turn of her neck right. Then, he straightens his back, reducing the curve in his spine until he’s as rigid as a wall but also as pliant as a young tree. It seems unreal, how effortless he makes it look even though its anything but. He tilts his head, turning it slightly behind as his left arm goes to the side of his face and she’s left almost breathless.

“I had this same problem a few months ago,” he says in the midst of the act. “But I couldn’t quite understand the way hyung did it, it was a bit too advanced, so,” Jungkook sheepishly smiles. “I cheated a little.”

She tilts her head, “cheated?”

“You’re supposed to tighten your back completely, but its incredibly hard to do unless you’ve been dancing for a while. But if I tighten _and_ relax, I found it much easier.”

Lisa tries to follow him, find an equilibrium between the two opposites, relaxing her shoulders but tightening her lower back. She can feel the tension run up and down her spine, coiled in areas they shouldn’t be, but they seem to fade away when she feels a foreign pressure on her back. Lisa stiffens unintentionally but Jungkook’s large hand encourages her to soften through the material of her shirt. She breathes slowly, senses his hand apply just a tiny amount of pressure to the base of her spine and clenches in response. Softly, so lightly that she can barely register the movement, he runs his hand down the curve of her back. He breaks away almost immediately, not looking at her as he does so.

“You’ve got it,” Jungkook murmurs quietly and she finds herself nodding. There’s a strange, palpable tension in the room that she doesn’t quite understand, doesn’t want to.

“Thank you,” the words fall from her lips as she averts her eyes from his face, unable to bring herself to look at him. Afraid of what she would see if she did.


	5. sour birthday cake

 

When she walks into the Starbucks by her campus, she’s immediately faced with the blank stare of a certain blonde behind the counter. Lisa stares off into the distance, leaning on her elbows with her head resting in her hands and eyes dazed and unresponsive. Jisoo approaches her with a heavy sigh, thankful that her junior at least has the sense to zone out when the shop itself was empty.

“Lisa,” she waves her manicured hands in front of the girl exaggeratedly. “Hey, Lalisa!”

After a particularly violent wave and a pinch to her cheeks, Lisa blinks once. Multiple times. Looks at her with wide eyes.

“Huh? Unnie? When did you get here?”

Jisoo moves back from the barista, folding her arms across her chest with an accompanying raised eyebrow.

“I really don’t know how you missed that when you were staring straight at the door. Honestly, it’s kind of impressive.”

Lisa does that stupidly endearing ‘ehe’ that is simultaneously cute and shameful before turning her attention to the screen in front of her, “what can I get you?”

“Give me a Unicorn Frappuccino, grande.”

She makes a face, “Unnie, that drink tastes like sour birthday cake and shame. Why do you hate yourself?”

“Shut up and give me my drink, I don’t recall paying for people to judge me,” Jisoo mutters defensively, already pulling out her bright pink wallet.

“Your funeral. Alright, that’ll be six dollars.”

The dark haired girl hands over the appropriate amount of notes, noting in the back of her mind that it was most definitely _not_ worth it but unable to resist the urge to down a cold drink after class. Lisa hands her back the change before moving to the machine that sits behind her, taking out various spoonfuls of powder from containers. It reminds her of chemistry class in high school, of Lisa in big goggles doing her absolute best to create pretty colours out of potentially dangerous chemicals as the teacher yells over her. It was the first time Jisoo had seen her, walking past the classroom on an errand, by chance she happened to glance at the window to the science lab. She recalls these memories fondly as she sits on the stool watching Lisa six years later, making pretty colours out of chemicals.

“You failed chemistry, right?” says Jisoo, stifling a giggle at the annoyed expression that graces the younger girl’s face.

Lisa pouts, shoving a long spoon into the metal of a beaker and stirring it around, “it wasn’t _my fault_ the teacher hated my guts. I still have no idea why - I was a great student.”

A snort. Lisa narrows her eyes before plunking the finished drink down on the counter in front of the other girl.

“Why did you bring that up anyway unnie,” she moves to the sink, turning on the tap and placing her hands underneath running water. “It’s not like you were much better at it.”

Jisoo brings the green straw to her lips and takes a sip. It tastes like cavities but she drinks it heartily anyway.

“Just thinking about how cute you were back then,” a faked, nostalgic kind of sigh escapes her wistfully. “My cute little Lalisa, now you’re so big and old.”

The blonde whips her head around, ponytail swinging and hitting the side of her cheek, “Hey, I’m still cute!”

It’s not true, Lisa is much cuter than she was back then, her cheeks, while still fluffy have thinned out slightly, making her look more mature. Well, until she opens her mouth anyway. The dark eyes, a little too big for her face back in high school now sits well framed by blonde bangs. She was cute in high school, but now she was cute and pretty in a way that Jisoo thinks is unlike anyone else.

The older girl brings her drink into her hands, letting its coldness seep into her skin. She takes another sip, letting the sugar and cream roll around on her tongue before sliding down her throat. Lisa wipes her hands on her jeans and joins her at the counter, returning to her original pose, only now she’s across from Jisoo.

“Jisoo-unnie, can I ask you something?” Her expression is uncharacteristically serious and causes the older girl to unconsciously sit up.

“Yeah, sure – go ahead.”

Lisa bites her lips and looks down at the smooth wood of the counter. Her eyes trace the wood grain that runs along it.

“What do you think about Jungkook?”

Jisoo blinks. _Oh._ If she were being honest, she’s only met him in person a few times, at the behest of Taehyung and doesn’t have an intimate understanding of his character. Nevertheless, the few times she has seen him, he’s been polite, respectful, kind even. He’s someone she can see with Lisa. She decides then and there to put in a good word for him. So she smiles warmly, eyes soft as she speaks sweetly.

“He’s a really great guy, Lalice,” Jisoo takes the younger girl’s hands in her own. “I like him a lot.”

To her confusion, Lisa’s face falls.

 

* * *

 

 

**_Jeon Jungkook_ ** _hey lisa_

**_Jeon Jungkook_ ** _theres something i want to ask u_

He frowns, it doesn’t feel quite right to ask over text. Understandably, he doesn’t really want to ask in person either, fearful of the face she’d make if she rejects him. Jungkook taps his fingers lightly on his pant clad thigh as he stares hard at the bright screen of his phone.

**_Jeon Jungkook_ ** _can we meet up?_

The man sets his phone down on the armrest as soon as he hits the ‘send’ button. Almost immediately, he has regrets. Was it too early to ask her? Would he come off as overeager? Creepy, even? He’s overcome by regret as he sits in the student lounge, legs resting on the low coffee table in front of him.

“Ugh chill dude,” Taehyung mutters from the chair in front of him, head buried in his own phone.

Jungkook frowns, “do you even know what I’m doing?”

“I don’t have to, that face of yours gives everything away,” he looks up momentarily, light ashy brown wisps of hair settling over his eyes. “Seriously, stop worrying, you’re going to get wrinkles.”

“I’m not going to become Jin-hyung. And you better mind your own business unless you want me to bring up your crush on Kim Jisoo.”

At this, Taehyung flushes hotly. He throws him a glare before turning his attention back to his phone. Jungkook is about to stick his tongue out at him when the sudden vibration of his own phone startles him. He hastily reaches for it, pointedly ignoring Taehyung’s stifled snort, flips it over so he can see the notification that pops up on his lock screen.

**_Lalisa Manoban_ ** _don’t think i can meet up anytime soon, sorry_

 

* * *

 

 

“Unnie, what would you do if you liked someone, but they liked your friend?”

Jennie looks up from her phone, perched on the edge of her bed with a bag of crisps by her side. With her oversized black sweater and hair tied messily into a loose ponytail, she’s the embodiment of ‘the university student in that sweet purgatory between assignments and end of year exams’. In contrast, the girl who presented the query sits on the floor with her back to her, thick textbook by her thigh and laptop seated carefully on top of her legs.

“Aren’t you supposed to be studying Lisa?” Is the vaguely snarky response she gets, and she resists the urge to scowl at the elder.

“I _am,_ ” she types something on her keyboard, as if random key smashing was somehow proof of that. “Now answer my question.”

A resigned sigh echoes behind her as she hears the crinkle of foil.

With her mouth full of crisps, Jennie speaks, “Depends. Is the feeling mutual?”

“What?”

Lisa turns her head around in confusion, round dark eyes growing even larger. She moves the laptop off her and scoots closer to the girl on the bed, placing her hands on the top of the comforter. In response to her bewildered expression the Jennie raises a curious eyebrow.

“What I mean is, does this person and your friend both like each other.”

She knows Jungkook has a crush on Jisoo, Taehyung had told her so, and she can’t think of any reason why he would lie about it. Jisoo’s feelings towards Jungkook… The elder girl hadn’t been opposed when she suggested the double date with Jungkook, had even looked pleased when she came to her. And earlier, when she asked about him at work… There couldn’t be any other possible explanation for it, she’s sure.

Lisa looks down at her hand, her painted fingernails which were beginning to chip at the edges. “I think so.”

“And how much do you like this person?”

That was more difficult to answer, she bites the flesh of her lips as she mulls over the question. She likes Jungkook enough, she thinks. If it were any other person, she’d wish them the best with her unnie while silently looking on, but the thought of Jungkook and Jisoo together causes her stomach to clench and eyes threaten to water. She likes them both a lot, Jisoo who has always been with her, she remembers them both with braces and large smiles sitting next to each other as their parents takes photographs. Jungkook, who she’s only known for a little while in comparison, is someone she’d simply like to spend more time with, whether it was dancing or even talking about silly things. She feels that if they could, if they could spend more time together, then she would be so happy.

Her head bows, creating a curtain of silky blond that hides her face from possible judgement. Ashamed, she buries her face into the softness of the bed comforter, feeling hot tears well up in her eyes. She feels Jennie shift on the bed as she sobs into her arms.

“…a lot,” Lisa whimpers. “I think I like him a lot, unnie.”

She’s aware of the comforting hand that rests on the top of her head. The light patting that usually, for its such a rare occurrence, soothes her immediately. Jennie doesn’t say anything and Lisa’s grateful for that, just lets her cry into her bed and stain it with hot tears.

“I don’t know what to do, I – “ she breaks off, wiping at her face with the sleeve of her shirt in a way she hasn’t done in a while. “I…don’t want to hurt anyone.”

“Lalice,” Jennie begins, looking at her sympathetically, crisps long abandoned by her side. “If…if this person likes your friend more than you, then they’re stupid.”

She laughs, a laugh that’s slightly bitter and tastes bad on her mouth. “You wouldn’t say that if you knew who the friend is.”

“I mean, if it’s me – yeah you would lose for sure. You’re great Lisa, but I can make _macaroons._ ”

A real laugh falls from her lips at this and her shoulders shake slightly. She feels Jennie wipe away at the sides of her face, catching the tears that she’s missed with her sleeve.

“You deserve to be happy too,” Jennie says as she ruffles the top of the younger girl’s head. Her dark eyes are soft.

Lisa looks up and smiles.

“Thank you unnie but – “ she rubs her face with thin fingers until its almost red and raw. When she looks up at the older girl, she finds her cute, childish face contorted in an expression of unfitting worry. “I don’t think I can risk my friendship with both of them.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading! feel free to leave a comment if you'd like :)


	6. white sweater

He’s hurt. She can see it in his eyes, in the downward turn of the sides of his mouth and in the way he turns away from her. Lisa can’t bear it, can’t bear seeing him like this, so she focuses her attention on the book splayed out on the table. Her self-control is almost pitiful, she wants to drag him by the arm to the empty seat across from her. To hear his sweet, soothing voice speak about this and that as she listens intently with bright eyes and keen ears. There’s danger in this foolish daydream, in yearning for something she desperately can’t have. Lisa digs her fingernails into the soft flesh of her palm.

It hurts, and that’s almost enough.

She doesn’t allow herself to look at Jungkook as he passes by her, concentrates solely on the words that have begun to blur before her eyes. He’s so close, hand _barely_ brushing by her shoulder, separated only by the fabric of her sweater. It’s so much.

And then its gone, along with Jungkook himself and she’s left all alone.

 

* * *

 

 

He stands in front of his relatively small closet, jeans in one hand and white shirt in another. His favourite pair of timberlands sit by his feet on the carpeted floor, staring up at him with what he imagines to be doe eyes. The room in the apartment he shares is messy, clothes strewn across the floor in a chaotic mess of fabric. Truth be told, Jungkook doesn’t even want to go. He doesn’t want to go to this group date thing where he’ll see the person who has been avoiding him for a _week_.

(Really, he wants nothing more than to see her again. Even just for a little while.)

The boy sighs heavily, kicking a pair of crumpled pants on the floor away as he walks over to his bed. He’s ready to give up, sink into the comfort of his mattress and sleep the entire day away while dreaming of round eyes and blonde hair when his door slams open and he jumps.

Taehyung stands there with a white shopping bag, some brand he’s never heard of (goo-ki?) stamped across it in imposing black lettering. He’s wearing black jeans, odd, Jungkook thinks, considering Taehyung had always preferred loose pants, a blue silk dress shirt and a plush white jacket. The shoes peeking out at the edge of the bottom of his jeans are a dark maroon colour. It’s not an outfit many would think of putting together but because of the person wearing it, the end result isn’t something entirely catastrophic.

“You are _not_ wearing timberlands.”

Whilst laughing bitterly, Jungkook turns around. “Yeah, I’m not. Because I’m not going.”

“Like _hell_ you are – “ the shorter, but older boy throws the bag on the bed covers, causing its contents to spill out slightly. “Get dressed now Jungkook, or I swear to god I’m going to give Namjoon-hyung your playstation controller.”

Jungkook hisses, “you _bastard_.”

“Call me whatever you want. Now hurry up and get dressed or we’re going to be late.” The door slams shut, just as suddenly as it had opened, and Jungkook is left alone in the room again.

He contemplates just locking the door but doesn’t out of fear of Taehyung scaling the window and strangling him in his sleep. Reluctantly, he makes his way to the bag that was thrown on his bed. A pair of dark jeans peek out of the bag, similar to Taehyung’s, although further inspection reveals that they are in fact, ripped. Jungkook pulls them on over his boxers – they’re a little tight around the thighs but not to the point where they would be particularly troublesome. The next article of clothing he pulls out is a black leather jacket which he tosses aside for the moment. The shirt Taehyung had brought is also black and Jungkook is starting to sense a theme.

Nevertheless, he pulls it on, again, it’s a little too tight. He shrugs his arms through the jacket which thankfully leave him a little wriggle room. Shoving his wallet and phone roughly into the pockets of the jacket, Jungkook moves to the door. He’s about to leave when he realizes that his feet are almost bare save for his socks. His eyes immediately go to the abandoned pair of timberlands that haven’t moved from where he had placed them the previous day.

Jungkook sighs, grabs the shoes and shuts the door behind him.

When he enters the living room he’s greeted by the sight of his captor lounging on his couch watching some stupid show playing on the television. Taehyung only notices him when he walks right in front of him to grab the remote from the coffee table and turn off the television screen.

“I thought I told you no timberlands,” comes his affronted voice from behind.

Jungkook rolls his eyes in an exaggerated motion, “I’m wearing everything else so shut up.”

In retaliation, Taehyung makes sure to step on the back of his shoes all the way down the stairs to the apartment, only stopping when Jungkook threatens to throw him out the nearby window.

 

* * *

 

 

“Chaeyoung-ah, which top looks better?”

Her roommate momentarily lifts her head up from the screen of her phone to appraise her outfit. The (barely) younger girl twirls around from her place in front of the wall mirror, her hair following her as she does so like the soft tentacles of a jellyfish. Lisa wears on that model-like body of hers an oversized white sweater and high waisted shorts that accentuates her long legs. She holds up another shirt, a much shorter pink one that Chaeyoung swears were originally hers. But its Lisa so she doesn’t mind.

Eyes moving back to her phone where a bright cellblock structure holding sweets stares back at her, Chaeyoung says, “that one looks good.”

“Yeah?” Lisa turns around again, inspecting every inch of the fabric. “You sure?”

“Mhm, its cute.”

There’s no reaction to this, causing Chaeyoung to break away once more from the screen of her phone. The other girl stands motionless in front of the mirror, staring with familiar eyes. Something akin to hesitancy taints her vision as her eyes drift from the top of her head to the toes of her feet.

“Lisa?” Her friend sits up, concern colouring her face as she places her phone down by her side.

The blonde shakes her head before tossing the pink shirt onto the seat of her desk chair. A quick glance at the alarm clock on the table by her bed causes her to let out a little gasp. She picks up the pair of shoes that were sitting on the floor behind her and the bag draped lazily across her desk, clumsily holding them as Chaeyoung watches, disorientated.  Lisa almost staggers out of the room, quickly imparting goodbyes and ‘see yous’ before shutting the door behind her.

It’s the first time Chaeyoung has seen her so agitated.

 

* * *

 

 

The plan was to meet outside the amusement park’s gate a bit after noon. Taehyung is the first to exit the bus, and almost immediately runs off, leaving Jungkook a little bit winded. The reason for his hasty departure from the vehicle stands by the ticket barrier to the park, dark hair spilling over thin shoulders like ink.

“Jisoo-yah,” Taehyung bounces up to her like a puppy dog, smitten, probably why the girl falters just a little before smiling back at him. If Jungkook were being honest, he wouldn’t have initially thought them to be so close.

They exchange a few words before finally realizing Jungkook is still standing quite a bit away. Taehyung beckons for him to come closer and he reluctantly complies.

“Noona,” he bows his head a little and she does the same. “It’s good to see you again.”

He remembers meeting her at Taehyung’s movie night a few months back – they had talked a little, _enough_ , and he truly means what he says. She’s pleasant to be around, her reserved, polite image hiding a boisterous and honestly, a little weird, disposition. In that way, she’s not too different from Taehyung.

“Jungkook-ssi,” Jisoo greets him with a gentle smile, she’s dressed in a pale blue dress that’s paired with a cream coloured cardigan. It’s a look that reminds him of the summer sky painted with fluffy white clouds. “We’re just waiting for Lisa then?”

Taehyung rolls his eyes, “of course we are.”

Unable to help himself, Jungkook tilts his head curiously, “I didn’t know you were that close with her hyung.”

“Hm? Oh we’ve known each other for a while,” he turns to Jisoo and grins – a small, offhand gesture that makes Jungkook’s stomach churn in irrational unease.

He doesn’t have time to dwell on this strange feeling for the sound of enclosed feet smacking against pavement approaches them. There’s a small, barely noticeable hitch in his breath when he turns around.

She’s possibly dressed the most casually out of all of them, but still manages to render him speechless. His eyes trail from her face to the bottom of her shoes and he isn’t able to pinpoint a single thing that _does not look good._ Her brown eyes flash to his form quickly but she averts them almost immediately. His heart tightens until its nearly unbearable. Jungkook decides then and there that the universe has made it its personal mission to torment him.

“I’m sorry I’m late – I lost track of time,” Lisa confesses – there’s a small bead of sweat hanging off her forehead and her voice comes out a little breathless.

Jisoo snorts, “yeah, we figured Lisa.”

Her soft looking lips form a pout, “it’s true unnie! I wasn’t late on _purpose._ ”

Taehyung rolls his eyes again before slinging an arm over Jungkook’s much wider shoulders. It appears as if the two have gone unnoticed (ignored) by the girls who have begun talking animatedly. Finally, having clearly had enough, Taehyung coughs loudly. Lisa and Jisoo turn to him with heated glares and to his credit, he only flinches slightly. Recovering quickly, he opens his mouth to speak as he turns his head to Jungkook.

“You haven’t met her yet, right? This blonde is the Lisa we talked about earlier. And Lisa, this is the Jungkookie I told you about.”

A frown appears on both of the youngest faces. Jungkook’s eyebrows knit together in confusion.

“We know each other though,” Lisa says slowly as he’s still standing, unable to snap out of his state of utter bafflement.

Taehyung blinks owlishly as Jisoo tries her hardest to hold back her laughter, “what?”

Jungkook finally snaps out of his momentary shock, “she works in the Starbucks near our campus dude.”

“I know _that_ , but how – “

“And we both attend Hoseok-oppa’s dance classes,” interrupts Lisa.

_“What?”_

At this point, Jisoo has taken to wheezing, bending over and trying her best not to make too much noise. Her giggles can be heard echoing through the space between them as the other three stand in bewilderment. When they make no move to the entrance to the amusement park, Jisoo straightens up, wiping away what seems like a tear, and grabs hold of Lisa’s arm.

“Come on, let’s go already,” Jisoo says, already dragging the girl towards the ticket barrier.

Taehyung stares after her for a second before turning to Jungkook, his expression a blend of frustration and disbelief.

“You didn’t tell me you knew Lisa already!”

“Why would I?! You would just make fun of me hyung!”

A sigh escapes the older man’s lips as he presses his hand against his forehead, irritation now clouding his features.  

“Jesus christ Jungkook,” he exhales deeply, eyes shut.

“I don’t get it, why is this even a problem – “

They’re interrupted by Jisoo, who calls for them while waving wildly next to a quiet Lisa. Taehyung throws them a thumbs up and they seem satisfied with this, turning back to the staff by the ticket gate. He turns his attention back to Jungkook and frowns.

“No, it’s no problem at all,” lies Taehyung.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for reading! i think there'll be around two or three more chapters :)

**Author's Note:**

> un-beta'd cause im a lazy fuck


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